Shownotes
Let's Talk about Automation and Blue Collar Work
Brad and Steve are solo this week talking about a topic that everyone is on everyones mind.
They cover the different ways automation is affecting blue-collar jobs, including the potential role of unions in protecting workers' rights.
The conversation also addresses the infrastructure challenges of transitioning to green materials and electric cars. But don't worry, the hosts emphasize the importance of keeping blue-collar businesses strong for future generations.
With the new "Brad and Steve" component, Blue Collar B.S. keeps listeners engaged with thought-provoking conversations.
Highlights:
- 1:08-Automation and Fear of Job Displacement. Understanding where the fear is coming from and believing that you can learn new skills and take a different path. Look at it as an opportunity not a negative.
- 7:57 This transition is not just affecting Blue Collar workers, its hitting everyone in society as a whole. There will be growing pains, but things have a way of working themselves out.
- 11:45 Embracing Change and a New Show Feature.
Contact your hosts:
Steve Doyle:
Brad Herda:
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Transcripts
Brad Herda:
Mr. Doyle welcome to blue collar BS greatly
Steve Doyle:
going on.
Brad Herda:
Greatly appreciate you being here today As you are aware, we've been doing this show for a while. We've had a bunch of guests for a while
Steve Doyle:
All right.
Brad Herda:
We're going to change it up a little bit just you and I having an in-depth conversation
Steve Doyle:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Brad Herda:
here um, I'm blue collar BS, you know Like we learned a while ago BS does not only mean what we think it means business solutions and oh by the way So this will
Steve Doyle:
Right.
Brad Herda:
be the blue-collar BS, Brad and Steve portion of our show going forward. So we talked pre-recording here
Steve Doyle:
Yeah.
Brad Herda:
about topics and various things, and automation and job displacement came up as something that hit a trigger for you. So
Steve Doyle:
All right.
Brad Herda:
over the next decade, automation and job displacement, advancement in robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, automating manual tasks. I have that potential for leading to job displacement for blue collar workers. And given that you are in the motor city of Detroit, Michigan,
Steve Doyle:
motor.
Brad Herda:
you are at the forefront of this topic and probably see it every day. So what do you see as the hurdles, roadblocks, and or positives of automation moving forward in the blue collar space?
Steve Doyle:
No, it's an interesting topic because there's always the fear. Number one is the fear, fear for the employees, fear for the management, fear for, you know, the business owners and what does that fear stem from? It's a lot of it's the unknown. So fear for the workers is this automation is now going to retake away my job. I, what am I going to be doing? How am I going to be employed? You know, then.
Brad Herda:
you're gonna do something different. That's how.
Steve Doyle:
Yeah, but you know, nobody can articulate what we're going to do different. Something something is going to be automated to take away my job. So I can no longer I am no longer doing any fabrication work. I'm no longer welding up this this assembly, I'm no longer, you know, riveting any of this stuff, it's all going to be automated. Or even in the builders side, from an automation standpoint, pre manufactured homes are coming to the job site. That I no longer I'm going to be doing directly on I'm saying if I used to be a stick guy, all the sticks show up, I slam them in, I spend six months, 12 months, whatever it is, building this building out of sticks. Now everything's coming in on flatbeds and it's assembled in less than a week. My whole livelihood is just shot to shit. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.
Brad Herda:
Well, it's a different while your livelihood becomes different. It doesn't become the same. No different than both of us getting to our path here. At
Steve Doyle:
Correct.
Brad Herda:
some point there was a different, right? Life took a turn. Decisions
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
were made and now we get to do this great podcast to do something different to have an impact in the world
Steve Doyle:
correct.
Brad Herda:
upon which we came from. So, um, it's opportunity, I think, right? It's opportunity for
Steve Doyle:
Absolutely
Brad Herda:
growth. It's opportunity
Steve Doyle:
is.
Brad Herda:
for learning. to try new things. At the same time, it's opportunity for people to advance their own knowledge and understanding.
Steve Doyle:
Correct.
Brad Herda:
One of the things that we talk about when we think about the Think Like a Buyer program, that buggy whip factory.
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
Buggy whips were great. They were fantastic. They were really important when we had buggies. Henry Ford
Steve Doyle:
Anything?
Brad Herda:
came by and got rid of the buggies. However, now you get all of these. We got these horse-drawn carriages and all these little it's the Renaissance piece to it
Steve Doyle:
Correct.
Brad Herda:
Somebody's got to make buggy whips niche Somewhere
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
along the line
Steve Doyle:
Absolutely.
Brad Herda:
That doesn't mean it can't it won't happen again everything goes in full circles
Steve Doyle:
Yes. So it's the fear is real. What isn't happening is the realization, the help, the realization to help someone guide them towards what is the next step for me? Because my job is going to be displaced. How am I going to go from doing what I'm doing now to doing something nobody knows what's needed in the future? Help me understand that.
Brad Herda:
you believe that that is a union non-union thing potentially? More so than it
Steve Doyle:
Um
Brad Herda:
is a
Steve Doyle:
It could be, but I'm not seeing it as that. I mean,
Brad Herda:
Okay.
Steve Doyle:
there is that protectiveness of the unionized workforce to protect what has always been. to protect the quote unquote rights of the workforce. However,
Brad Herda:
Right.
Steve Doyle:
it is the blind spot to know that when we advance with whatever we're doing, there are new skill sets that need to be learned. There is going to be a new need for, it's a different need for the workforce. Because with automation, somebody has to service that automation. And there's going to be things that come up that weren't thought about, that need to be done. manual operation. So someone needs
Brad Herda:
When
Steve Doyle:
to
Brad Herda:
the
Steve Doyle:
serve.
Brad Herda:
end on light goes on, it's flashing red. Woo, woo, woo, can't make
Steve Doyle:
Yeah.
Brad Herda:
my part, can't make my part.
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
You know, just throw the robot's not gonna come over and fix the automation cycle.
Steve Doyle:
Correct.
Brad Herda:
You know, Rosie the Riveter from the Jetsons isn't gonna be able to make that happen for us.
Steve Doyle:
Exactly.
Brad Herda:
Yeah, there's gonna have to be somebody that's going to need to take
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
manual intervention.
Steve Doyle:
Correct. And it requires us to be mindful, and it's a whole skill set. We have to be willing to adapt and learn, but we have to be open to that change. And most times with the advanced automation that's happening today, the mindset is so closed because of fear. And that's what we're doing today. We're doing this because we're
Brad Herda:
Well, and, and, and some of that is rightfully so. And I know this isn't a political
Steve Doyle:
correct
Brad Herda:
show, but we start automating and we start relying on electrical grid. And we know that our infrastructure is not the most robust in many areas.
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm
Brad Herda:
At some point, How are we going to do that if there's not the infrastructure to support all of the If there aren't
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
enough silicone chips, if there are enough things to have the servers to create the power to running is it really something to be afraid of? I don't know.
Steve Doyle:
not in as much today as it will be in the future. As we continue to advance and find those new materials that we need to use, we don't even know what they are right now. But as we find those things, because we're currently in the push for green, right? Everything that we mind of quote unquote make green is actually making everything not green. Just because
Brad Herda:
Don't
Steve Doyle:
we
Brad Herda:
get
Steve Doyle:
won't
Brad Herda:
me started
Steve Doyle:
get into
Brad Herda:
on
Steve Doyle:
that.
Brad Herda:
that. Please don't.
Steve Doyle:
We won't go down that path, but.
Brad Herda:
No, no, please don't. We don't need to go down that path. And
Steve Doyle:
But, again...
Brad Herda:
I was, so okay, just to go on that, I'm gonna go down that path just one moment. So
Steve Doyle:
Do
Brad Herda:
I was at,
Steve Doyle:
it, do it, do
Brad Herda:
I
Steve Doyle:
it
Brad Herda:
was
Steve Doyle:
fool!
Brad Herda:
somewhere, I forget where I was this past week, but I heard this conversation going on about, for every two EVs that show up in the marketplace, That's like adding another home to the grid based on draw and conversion
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
of power and all these things to charge the vehicles. I'm like, huh, okay, so every two vehicles is another home on the grid. There's no way the grid is gonna support all of that transformation and transition. As a mining guy,
Steve Doyle:
night.
Brad Herda:
right, as a coal mining guy, I'm like, huh, okay, that means we gotta make more power plants, which means that we have to have more construction, which means we need more people to build those, which means we need more coal, which means we need to go get more, mind-boggling what is going on here scenario.
Steve Doyle:
Correct. And again, if we bring that back down to it's not just the blue collar workforce that has that concern. It is all throughout all of us have that concern. No matter if we're blue collar, white collar, no collar, whatever dog collar, I don't care. We all have that concern.
Brad Herda:
God, Collar. Blue Collar DC, okay.
Steve Doyle:
That's right. That's right.
Brad Herda:
DCBS, there we go.
Steve Doyle:
So,
Brad Herda:
That's a new show.
Steve Doyle:
you know, with the advancements with robotics, it's one thing to make the sweeping comment. Everything will work itself out. As it always has, yes, there are growing pains. Yes, there are frustrations, but it's us keeping an open mindset that there is going to be something new that is needed. And we have to be open to seize the moment when it happens. And so,
Brad Herda:
Okay. All right, so for that mid-tier tool and eye shop, for that mid-tier, we'll just say the level one supplier to your automotive guys, all those
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
types of folks, what would you advise them to consider from a workforce perspective to look at differently?
Steve Doyle:
Those that are there first in the beginning are usually the ones that are gonna win long term. And they are the ones that are leading the charge with their workforce, like engaging their workforce. When we talk engaging, it's not just, hey, we have a solution, no, we bring our suppliers, we bring our customers in and we show them how we're engaging in the new technology and the new air to help them progress. And hey, if we're doing it, we can help you do it too. and us thing, it's no longer a weak, a me thing, it's a we thing. Keeping the we concept, how we as a team can do that.
Brad Herda:
Okay, when you talk about that, it reminds me of how Matt, Matt's doing that MRS here
Steve Doyle:
mhm,
Brad Herda:
in Wisconsin,
Steve Doyle:
absolutely
Brad Herda:
right? Taking the charge, leading the charge, bringing
Steve Doyle:
Yeah.
Brad Herda:
people to be things different, making a stance and moving forward. Same thing with your buddy Josh up in Minnesota
Steve Doyle:
Yeah.
Brad Herda:
on the boat side, right? Making
Steve Doyle:
Mm-hmm.
Brad Herda:
that clear decision that his role as a leader and find younger talent smarter than him along
Steve Doyle:
Correct.
Brad Herda:
the way and get out of the way of fear. So I think
Steve Doyle:
Yeah,
Brad Herda:
that
Steve Doyle:
it's
Brad Herda:
is
Steve Doyle:
the challenge
Brad Herda:
solid advice.
Steve Doyle:
you to make advancements, you have to challenge the status quo. You have to be willing to take the risk, take chances. Yeah, they're not all going to pan out. Yeah, fuck around and find out you're going to learn that
Brad Herda:
Right.
Steve Doyle:
things are going to work or they're not. And if you find that they work, great, dominate that market, dominate that area.
Brad Herda:
All right.
Steve Doyle:
And you, yeah.
Brad Herda:
Cool. Well, that's an area of topic, right? And I think we need to find some experts in that space to come on the show and maybe share where they're coming from and what they're thinking
Steve Doyle:
Yeah.
Brad Herda:
of doing. So that'll be my ask for the listeners out there. If you are in that automation world and robotics world, we'd love to have a conversation with you and dive into that more about how to eliminate that fear and move and progress forward instead of status quo. So. conversation here on the blue collar BS and now we've got this new Brad and Steve
Steve Doyle:
component.
Brad Herda:
component to it that we're gonna add into the mix probably in between in between our guest shows It's a really good conversation. Thanks for having me today
Steve Doyle:
Yeah, thanks, Brad.